Are You Ready to Change?

Editor-in-Chief Bill Phillips reflects on change

Last summer Adam Campbell, our fitness director, stopped by my office bearing freshly shrink-wrapped gifts: a handful of DVDs featuring new workouts he'd developed with BJ Gaddour, one of our top fitness experts. I was excited. These weren't ordinary workouts. For one thing, they were short—exactly what my busy schedule demanded.

"I can't wait to get started," I tweeted to Gaddour. He quickly responded with just one word: "Change."

I've changed, man.

As I write this, my shoulders are broader and my waist is thinner. I stand taller. I walk more confidently. Not coincidentally, I've also landed a new job—this one. Even my chronic shoulder pain has disappeared. I haven't changed this much since I gave up soda a bunch of years ago and watched 15 pounds melt away in a Men's Health minute.

So yes, change is good. But more important, it's necessary. If you're not changing, you're not growing. And if you're not growing, you're dying.

As kids, we fantasize about changing the world—as inventors or rocket scientists or home-run hitters. That's the hard way. We can also change the world by being the best version of ourselves we can be. That means staying positive and passionate and curious, and spreading those qualities to our friends, our colleagues, and our kids.

The funny thing about change, though: The more desperate you are to make one, the harder it is to pull off. The time to strike is when you're feeling great about yourself. Do you really love who you are? Perfect! Now change.

"Change what?" you ask. I don't know. Only you can answer that. But I do know that the rest of your life—and the best of your life—depends on it.